From Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy—the #1 bestseller that became Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award–winning film GoodFellas—comes the brilliantly told true story of love, marriage, adultery, murder, and revenge, Mafia-style … the shattering inside account of how the mob finally lost its stranglehold over the neon money-making machine it created: the multibillion-dollar casino gambling industry of Las Vegas.

CASINO

No one knew more about casinos than Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, the gambling mastermind who, along with his best friend and partner, Anthony Spilotro, virtually ran Las Vegas for the mob. For years, it was the perfect arrangement—Lefty provided the smarts, while Tony kept the bosses happy with their weekly suitcases filled with millions in skimmed cash. It should have lasted forever, but Lefty’s obsession with running the town—and Tony’s obsession with Lefty’s beautiful showgirl wife, Geri—eventually led to the betrayals and investigations that exploded into one of the greatest debacles in mob history.

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Quotes & Awards

“ The author of Wiseguy… serves up another colorful tale of Mafia misdeeds.

Library Journal

“ [A] true and brilliantly-told story of love, marriage, adultery, murder, revenge, and how it led to the Mafia's finally losing its stranglehold on the Las Vegas casinos. ”

Listener Opinions

" Good from a historical perspective. I knew nothing about Las Vegas history and mob influence before, but more like information from an encyclopedia than an enthralling story. "

Pardis Parto | 2/7/2014

" In Vegas, everybody's gotta watch everybody else. Since the players are looking to beat the casino, the dealers are watching the players. The box men are watching the dealers. The floor men are watching the box men. The pit bosses are watching the floor men. The shift bosses are watching the pit bosses. The casino manager is watching the shift bosses. I'm watching the casino manager. And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all. "

Ashley Hardy | 1/24/2014

" Interesting account of mobsters that made it big in Vegas, their upbringing and influences. "

Daniel | 1/14/2014

" Not bad.....many non-fiction novels can be quite boring....this one kept the tempo and did not fail to deliver the goods....in contrast to the slots in Vegas......hahahah "

Alicia | 1/10/2014

" Great book, but surprisingly entirely lacking the style and atmosphere of the movie. The action could have taken place nearly anywhere - the focus is entirely on the events and people, with very little detail about the settings, appearances, etc. "

Bill Shannon | 12/31/2013

" A semi oral history of Las Vegas of the '60s and '70s. Great if you love true-crime. "

Kevin Mellor | 12/28/2013

" You can't beat Pileggi for making true crime read like a novel. The best book about Tony "The Ant" Spilotro I've been able to find so far, and a great story about how men who have what it takes to bring the world to its knees are too intrinsically flawed to keep it there. "

Nichole | 12/26/2013

" Way better than the movie! "

Rob | 12/22/2013

" Casino is one of those movies that I always get sucked into. So, I had to read the book and get the back story. The book is a great quick read and goes more into 'Lefty' (Robert DeNiro) than the movie suggests. And, surviving that car bomb at the end...it really happened! "

Richard | 12/9/2013

" The movie is a classic Scorsese and one of my top tens. If you want the real names, events and actual Vegas casino where it all really happened, read this book. "

Brenda | 12/5/2013

" i loved this book. though a little different i loved the movie too. lots of facts about mafia and vegas casinos when they first opened. a very good read. "

Walt | 11/6/2013

" One of the best books about the mob in Las Vegas. It so happens that the complex web surrounding Frank Rosenthal in Las Vegas was one of the most difficult organized crime-related operations in Vegas. Pileggi clearly describes the power struggles between the various players in great detail. "

Rhonda | 9/21/2013

" I give up, I can't finish this no matter how much I want to like it. I gave it a fair shake but I definitely won't be attempting to read it in the future nor will I be recommending it to anyone. "

Darrell Curtis | 2/22/2013

" author of 'Wiseguy', Pileggi tells a compellingly tragic tale that takes place in the desert of Nevada, in a place called Las Vegas. "

Kandice | 10/15/2012

" Since I first read Puzo, I have been fascinated with the mafia. Pileggi makes it seem so real. Almost as if your neighbors could be connected. What's the big deal, right? Lefty was the best character. He was so neccesary, but so low key. Loved it!!! "

Angela Rowe | 6/25/2012

" Could not even make myself finish reading it! "

Jonathan | 5/12/2012

" The true story behind the Scorsese film, which was a relatively faithful adaptation. Just as with "Wiseguy" Pileggi often turns over the narrative to his subjects, who tell much of their story in their own words. "

Bill | 3/27/2012

" So the movie left out a whole bunch of Lefty's unfavorable traits, like the wife beating. "

" A better book than Wiseguy because it reads more like a novel rather than the journalistic style of Wiseguy. Still, though, does not compare to the film that was made from it. Love me some Scorsese. "

Jwm | 8/16/2011

" Couldn't put it down. Got three hours of sleep a night until I finished it. Fascinating, gripping, brilliant. Unfairly overlooked because of Wise Guy/Goodfellas. "

Jonathan | 4/20/2011

" The true story behind the Scorsese film, which was a relatively faithful adaptation. Just as with "Wiseguy" Pileggi often turns over the narrative to his subjects, who tell much of their story in their own words.
"

Iridius | 12/10/2010

" Good from a historical perspective. I knew nothing about Las Vegas history and mob influence before, but more like information from an encyclopedia than an enthralling story.
"

Pete | 11/30/2010

" How the hell did Pileggi get all those interiews?
"

Daniel | 8/29/2010

" Not bad.....many non-fiction novels can be quite boring....this one kept the tempo and did not fail to deliver the goods....in contrast to the slots in Vegas......hahahah
"

Alicia | 8/11/2010

" Great book, but surprisingly entirely lacking the style and atmosphere of the movie. The action could have taken place nearly anywhere - the focus is entirely on the events and people, with very little detail about the settings, appearances, etc.
"

J.C. | 5/5/2010

" An easy read but not to coherent when it comes to chronology. If you saw the movie you don't need to read this book. It was sitting on my shelves for a few years and I figured it was now or never, kinda wish it was never.
"

Walt | 1/13/2010

" One of the best books about the mob in Las Vegas. It so happens that the complex web surrounding Frank Rosenthal in Las Vegas was one of the most difficult organized crime-related operations in Vegas. Pileggi clearly describes the power struggles between the various players in great detail.
"

" Casino is one of those movies that I always get sucked into. So, I had to read the book and get the back story. The book is a great quick read and goes more into 'Lefty' (Robert DeNiro) than the movie suggests. And, surviving that car bomb at the end...it really happened!
"

Christa | 4/24/2009

" I loved the movie so much I had to read the book. The fact that it is based on truth made it more personal.
"

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